ABSTRACT
Coping mechanisms, or psychological defenses, are tools to reduce emotional friction. They are generally experienced as involuntary reactions functioning as temporary, psychic painkillers until a threat passes or feels tolerable. These responses to duress can be useful for reinforcing resilience, or potentially dangerous if interfering with adequate assessment of a necessary action. Denial, one of the least adaptive mechanisms, is at the opposite end of the continuum from anticipation, but as with suppression, is related. Denial subtly crept in as higher defenses slunk out, masquerading as anticipation. Momentarily relieving, it ultimately brought about the consciously dreaded consequences. Anticipation involves planning, awareness of a looming negative situation and the capacity are goal directed even though anxious. Equally important, anticipation involves affect. Anticipation as a coping skill permits a reasoned, resilience-oriented approach to managing both the threatening issue and the disturbing feelings associated with it.
